Life-belt.



P. BERGEN.

LIFE BELT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2. I9I8.

Patented Nov. 12,1918.

WITNESSES j L Mic/Mn PAUL BERGEN, OF RICHWO OD, WISCONSIN.

LIFE-BELT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application nledMay 2 1918. Serial No. 232,109v

To all whom it mayconcem: Be it known that 1, PAUL BERGEN, a c1t1 zen of the United States, and a resident of Richwood, inthe county of Dodge and State of Wisconsin, have inventeda new andlmproved Life-Belt of which the following is a description.

My inventionrelates to a life-saving appliance including an inflatable life belt; and

a gas generator adapted to be held on the 1 body of the wearer of the belt and connected to the latter, the generator being adapted to containa substance which in the presenceof water will generate a gas for inflating the belt.

The inventionin addition to comprising themain elements of theinfiatable belt and;

connected generator is characterizedalso by various distlnctlve features having in view the maximum fioatability in the inflated belt Figure 1 is a sideelevation ofa life belt and generator embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal verti cal section of the generator;

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan View on the line Fig. 4 is a transverse verticalsectionxon the line 4%, Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional plan view illustrating a slightly modified valve arrangement controlling the admission "of water;

line 66 Fig. 3. A

A practical embodimentof my invention are adjustable by a suitable buckle arrangementas indicated by 11, andsaid belt has suspended thereon, communicatinggwith the interior of the belt, inflatable sacks '12. The belt connects by a section of hose 13, or the like, with a gas generator 14 preferably through the cover 15 thereof. In the illustrated example the hose l3connects-with a nipple 16 on a screw cap 17 threaded onto a necklS in thecover l5.v The generator the cover,

Fig. 6 is a detail in sectiononthe curved leis connected with the belt Patented Nov. 1231918.".

by straps indicatiad at 19,, Fig. secured to the belt at 10s.. :anc 7 65 secured to lugs 20 or equivalentmem bers on. the generator. Also,yto prevent the" generatornfrom being inverted additional straps may be employed to secure the gen;

erator at,:the bottom to the apparel of. the

wearer. ofthe, belt, there being indicatedat- 21 a fragment of one of such'additional. The cover. 15,.may be .removably secured in any suitable manner, there being on the generator engagement with the bolts having suitable clamp straps.

indicated swing bolts 22 adapted to be swung into nuts The generator includes agas chamber 2% anda larger water chamber-25, the latter being. dlvided to rial adapted' in the, generategas. The holder 27 in theillusproduce anauxiliary water; 1 chamber 26 at the top. In the gas chamber a holder 27 is provided for receiving matepresence of water to. p

trated term is cup-shaped to receivea cartridge 28' of gas-generating material as, for example, a material known as oxone adapted in the presence of water to generate oxygen gas. Resilient retaining fingers 29 are provided within the holder tridge 28. Said holder is shown as having a threaded stem 30 rising from the bottom 27 to retainthe car- I of the chamber 24, the cup having suitable -,means for turning it, such as lateral studs 1adapted-toreceive a suitable-wrench.

; The cap is closed by a solubledisk 32 which-'5.v

is clamped in placeby a ring 34in threaded engagement with the top of the cup 27. the

ring having suitable members .34: thereon torv turning it. t a

Water; may enter theupper waterv cham .:.ber 26 throughan inlet opening 35 and pass from said chamber to themain water cham-- --ber-25 through an opening 36in a horizon includes a tubular belt 10, the ends of which 2' talpartition 40, separating the chambers 25, 26. Theopenmg 36 is of k'ey holeshape having -an.enlarged circular end and an;

partition-4O byia rivet 39 .or the like, there. being a second I'lVQt';l1- passing through the upper and.

lower members of the valve and through the opening 36, 37. V A retractile spring a2 tends to maintain the valve 38 in the closed position over the opening 36, 37, said spring being connected at one end as at l?) to the valve and secured at its opposite end as at 44: to any fixed part of the generator 14. The valve 38 is normally maintained in the open position against the tension of the spring 42 through the medium of the float 45 in the main water chamber 25, said float preferably being of box-like form having lugs 46 at the opposite sides slidably engaging vertical guide rods at? in the cham ber The float 45 has secured thereto as at 49 one end of a pull string 48 which runs over a suitable guide 48 and to connection as at 50 with the valve 38 below the partition 40. A vertical partition 14 separates the gas chamber 24 from the water chambers and in said vertical partition is an inlet opening 51 to permit water to flow from the Water chamber 25 to the gas chamber 24. The opening is controlled by a valve 52, here shown as a flat hinge valve.

With the described arrangement when the generator 14: is submerged as when the wearer of the belt is in the water, water entering the chamber 26 will pass downwardly through the opening 36, 3,7, to the chamber 25 and rise in the latter sutficiently to cause the float 4L5 to rise, thereby relieving the pull string 48 of the weight of said float and permitting the spring $2 to swing the valve 88 to the closed position, thereby limiting the amount of water entering the chamber 25. The opening 51 leading to the gas chamber 24 is of limited capacity compared with the opening 35, 86, 37, it being the purpose to cause the valve 38 to be closed when water in the gas chamber 24 has reached the soluble disk 32, the parts being so arranged that the float 45 will permit the spring 42 to close the valve 38 at the proper time, so that said valve 88 will be closed in any event,

even should the disk 32 be slow in dissolving. Ordinarily, however, the said disk will be dissolved permitting the water to reach the cartridge 28 for generating the gas, so that the gas pressure will close the valve 52 and usually will force some water out through the opening 51 before the valve 52 closes. Obviously, gas generated in the chamber 24 will pass through the connection 13 to the belt 10and cause the bags or sacks I 12 to be inflated. It will be understood that the proportions of the parts are such that the total weight of the generator 1% will be markedly inferior to the buoyancy of the inflated belt and gas sacks.

In the form shown in Fig. 5, is a slight variation of the valve, there being indicated in this figure a slide valve 38 movable in a keeper 58 over an opening 36- of general myself strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be considerably varied without departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a life-saving appliance of the class described, a box-like generator having a gas chamber, material in said chamber adapted, when subjected to water, to generate gas. a water chamber, and a valve normally open and subject to gas pressure in the gas chamber to cut ofi" communication between the water chamber and gas chamber.

2. In an appliance of the class described, a gas generator including a gas chamber, a main water chamber, having an outlet leading to the gas chamber, an auxiliarly water chamber above said main water chamber and formed with an inlet for Water when the generator is submerged, the top of said main chamber having an inlet opening leading from the auxiliary chamber, a valve controlling the last-mentioned controlling inlet opening, said valve comprising plates disposed respectively above and below the top of the main water chamber, a retractile spring in the auxiliary chamber and connected with the upper plate of the valve to close the latter, a float in the main water chamber, and connections between the float and the lower plate of the valve to maintain the valve open by the weight of the float in the absence of water in themain chamber.

3. In an appliance of the class described, a gas generator having a gas chamber formed with an inlet for water, and a holder in said chamber adapted'to receive a cartridge of a character to generate gas when subjected to the action of water, said holder including a disk soluble in water and constituting a closure of the holder and cutting ofi communication between the interior gas chamber, a-holder contained Within the gas chamber and adapted to hold material, the material which in the presence of Water will generate gas, said holder being normallyclosed against the entrance of Water thereto, means to admit Water to the holder upon a rise of Water to a predetermined level in the gas chamber, a Water chamber, and a valve subject to gas pressure in the gas chamber and controlling communica- 10 tion between the\ Water chamber and gas chamber.

PAUL BERGEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

